The Bible

About the Bible

No book has impacted our lives like the Bible…atheist, agnostics

The most printed, distributed and bought book in the world—nothing close

Harry Potter printed 300-400 million copies

According to the American Bible society

5 billion printed in the last 150 years

7 billion copies in circulation

89% American homes have 1 Bible (4/house)

69% believe the Bible tells us how to have a meaningful life

English language has been affected by the Bible.

Out of the mouth of babes…Psalms 8:2

Blind leading the blind…Matt. 15:14

66 different books by 40 different authors in a 1,500 year time frame with multiple walks of life

Kings, peasants, fisherman, doctors, philosophers and poets

How do I know the Bible is true.

The Bible was ahead of it’s time.

Life is in the blood.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

The earth is suspended in space

Job 26:7 He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.

The universe is not infinite. 

Hebrews 11:3 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

All scientist now agree that now. Space, Time and Matter had a beginning.

It is confirmed by archeology.

No Pontius Pilate until the Pilate stones were found in Caesarea in 1961.

No crucifixion until a crucified man was found in 1968 in Jerusalem.

Caiaphas didn’t exist (even though Josephus confirmed him) until they found his tomb in Jerusalem in 1990.

The Bible predicted the future with 100% accuracy.

Up to 300 about Jesus alone.

Only 8 prophecies about Jesus coming true would be like filling the state of Texas with quarters 2 feet deep and marking one and blind fold someone.

The testimony of New Testament writers.

It was embarrassing.

They all were tortured and killed and received nothing for it.

Their writings were current.

All were written before 100 AD, most before 70 AD.

No mention of the temple destruction in 70 AD.

USS Arizona before 1941

WTC before 2001

Homer’s Iliad had a 400 year gap.

How do we know that we have an accurate copy?

Homer has 1,800 manuscripts

NT has 5,800 after Emperor Diocletian gave three different edicts to rid Christianity in 303 AD

Why didn’t God preserve the original?

What about Dinosaurs

Job 40:15-18 15 “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. 16 Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.

The Bible is not a taxonomy book.

The Bible’ primary purpose is not to tell us how the heavens go but how to go to heaven.

The Aim of the Study

It has been said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” How true! A good study should have a clearly defined purpose. Once you have studied the passage on your own, form a statement of purpose for the study based on the primary focus of the passage.

You may not know your aim when you start.

You should never open your bible without expecting it to transform you.

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."

The Bible: A Mine to be Quarried

On a trip to the United Kingdom, our family visited a castle. In the center of the garden sat a maze. Row after row of shoulder-high hedges, leading to one dead end after another. Successfully navigate the labyrinth, and discover the door to a tall tower in the center of the garden. Were you to look at our family pictures of the trip, you’d see four of our five family members standing on the top of the tower. Hmmm, someone is still on the ground. Guess who? I was stuck in the foliage. I just couldn’t figure out which way to go. Ah, but then I heard a voice from above. “Hey, Dad.” I looked up to see Sara, peering through the turret at the top. “You’re going the wrong way,” she explained. “Back up and turn right.” Do you think I trusted her? I didn’t have to. I could have trusted my own instincts, consulted other confused tourists, sat and pouted and wondered why God would let this happen to me. But do you know what I did? I listened. Her vantage point was better than mine. She was above the maze. She could see what I couldn’t.  

Don’t you think we should do the same with God? “God is higher than the heavens”

Job 22:12 (ESV)12 “Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are!  

Ps. 113:4“The LORD is high above all nations”

Doesn’t he want to get us out and bring us home? Then we should do what Jesus did. Rely on Scripture.

The Bible: A Mine to be Quarried

Don’t go to Scripture looking for your own idea; go searching for God’s.

Before reading the Bible, pray

Read the Bible prayerfully. Also, read the Bible carefully.

Matthew 7:7 (ESV)7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Psalm 1:2 (ESV)2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  

The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed but rather a mine to be quarried. 

Proverbs 2:4–5 (ESV)4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  

God speaks to us through his Word.

The first step in reading the Bible is to ask God to help you understand it.

John 14:26 (ESV) 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The disciples had the best teacher on the planet but didn’t understand what Jesus taught them until after Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a practical point.

Study the Bible a little at a time. God seems to send messages as he did his manna: one day’s portion at a time. He provides “a command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there” (Isa. 28:10 NCV). Choose depth over quantity. Read until a verse hits you, then stop and meditate on it. Copy the verse onto a sheet of paper, or write it in your journal, and reflect on it several times.

Don’t be discouraged if your reading reaps a small harvest. Some days a lesser portion is all we need.

A little girl returned from her first day at school. Her mom asked, “Did you learn anything?” “I guess not,” the girl responded. “I have to go back tomorrow and the next day and the next day . . .

Step One: Observation

Sherlock Holmes was known for his brilliant powers of observation. One day a stranger came into Holmes’s study. The detective looked over the gentleman carefully then remarked to Watson: “Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.” Watson was so astounded by his abilities that he commented: “I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction. ‘When I hear you give your reasons,’ I remarked, ‘the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled, until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.’

‘You see, but you do not observe.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote: I have six faithful serving men. Who taught me all I know. Their names are What, Where, When, How, Why and Who.

1. Who—Who is the author of the book? To whom is he writing? Who are the major and minor characters?

2. Where—Where do the events occur? Are there any references to towns, cities, provinces? If so, look these up in a Bible atlas or on a map. (Many Bibles include maps.) If you are reading a letter, where do the recipients live?

3. When—Are there any references to the time, day, month or year, or to when events took place in relation to other events?

4. What—What actions or events are taking place? What words or ideas are repeated or are central to the passage? What is the mood (joyous, somber)?

5. Why—Does the passage offer any reasons, explanations, statements of purpose?

6. How—How is the passage written? Is it a letter, speech, poem, parable? Does the author use any figures of speech (similes, metaphors)? How is it organized (around ideas, people, geography)?

We will all observe differently because we pay attention to different things.

Sometimes our own view will change based off of what we are going through.

Step Two: Interpretation

Meaning, significance, explanation—these are the goals of the interpreter. How do you reach these goals? And once you have reached them, how do you know you are not mistaken? For example, have you ever been discussing a passage of Scripture with someone when suddenly he or she says, “That’s just your interpretation,” as if to say, “You have your interpretation and I have mine, and mine is just as good as yours!” The person is half right. People often disagree on how the Bible should be interpreted. But just because there are many different interpretations of a passage doesn’t mean they are all good interpretations. A good interpretation must pass one crucial test—it must conform to the author’s intended meaning. You may have a seemingly wonderful interpretation of Scripture, but if it is different from what the author intended, it is incorrect. 

Discover the historical context of the book

The events described in the Bible took place thousands of years ago. This creates one obvious problem for understanding these events—we weren’t there! Therefore, we often lack important information regarding the background or context in which these events took place. For example, almost every New Testament letter was written to address a particular problem or set of problems: the Galatians were seeking to be justified by law; the Corinthians wanted answers to questions about marriage, spiritual gifts, meat offered to idols and so on; Timothy needed to know how to restore order to a church. Unless we understand these problems or questions, the letters are like listening to one end of a telephone conversation. We hear what the author is saying, but we don’t know why he is saying it. The same is true when we read other books of the Bible. We know only half of the story!

Step Three: Application

The ultimate purpose of Bible study is not simply to educate us but to transform us. In Romans 12:2 Paul gives us this exhortation: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As we renew our minds through the study of Scripture, the Holy Spirit gradually transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ.

To properly apply the Scriptures, we must remember the nature of Scripture. We mentioned earlier that almost every book of the Bible was written to address specific problems, needs and questions of the people living at that time. The Corinthians had problems of division, immorality, marriage, food sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts and lawsuits among believers. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to answer their specific questions.

We face many of these same problems and questions today. It is still possible to take a fellow believer to court, and we still have questions about marriage. In fact there are hundreds of ways in which our problems and needs correspond to those faced by the people in the Bible. This is natural since we share a common humanity.

Matthew 4:1–4

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

The wilderness of Judea (3:1) is the traditional site of Jesus’ temptations. Israel had, of course, experienced temptation in another wilderness for 40 years.

Fasting for forty days was not unknown to those who studied the Scriptures, Moses and Elijah both fasted forty days

The Greek word translated “tempted” (peirazo) means “to test” in either a good or bad sense

Scripture consistently teaches that God does not “tempt” (Gr. peirazo) anyone in order to seduce them to sin (James 1:13). Nevertheless He does allow people to experience testing that comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 John 2:15–17; Rom. 7:18–24; 1 Pet. 5:8)

Satan attacked Jesus when He was vulnerable physically.

Jesus’ response to Satan’s suggestion (v. 4) reflected His total commitment to follow God’s will as revealed in His Word. He quoted the Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 8:3. Its application originally was to Israel, but Jesus applied it to everyone, and particularly Himself. By applying this passage to Himself, Jesus put Himself in the category of a true man (Gr. anthropos).

Jesus faced Satan as a man, not as God. He did not use His own divine powers to overcome the enemy, which is just what Satan tempted Him to do. Rather, He used the spiritual resources that are available to all people, including us, namely, the Word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit

For you who are involved in the argument over inspiration of Scripture, please note that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and said, “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (8:3). It’s not just the thoughts that are inspired. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and declared that every word proceeds out of the mouth of God and is inspired by God. Every word is God-breathed.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs. Jesus told Satan, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” Matt. 4:4

The verb proceeds is literally “pouring out.” Its tense suggests that God is constantly and aggressively communicating with the world through his Word. God is speaking still!

Trust [God’s] Word. Don’t trust your emotions.

Don’t trust your opinions. Don’t even trust your friends. In the wilderness heed only the voice of God.

Again, Jesus is our model. Remember how Satan teased him? “If you are the Son of God . . .” (Luke 4:3, 9 NCV). Why would Satan say this? Because he knew what Christ had heard at the baptism. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17 NASB).

“Are you really God’s Son?” Satan is asking. Then comes the dare—“Prove it!” Prove it by doing something: “Tell this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3 NASB). “If You worship before me, it shall all be Yours” (v. 7 NASB). “Throw Yourself down from here” (v. 9 NASB).

What subtle seduction! Satan doesn’t denounce God; he simply raises doubts about God. Is his work enough? Earthly works—like bread changing or temple jumping—are given equal billing with heavenly works. He attempts to shift, ever so gradually, our source of confidence away from God’s promise and toward our performance.

Matthew 4:5–7

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’and“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

The setting for the second temptation was Jerusalem

Again the devil granted that Jesus was the Son of God. Satan’s words replicate the Septuagint version of Psalm 91:11–12, appealing to the authority that Jesus used, namely, God’s Word

Psalm 91:11–12 (ESV)11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.  

Satan omitted the words “to protect you in all your ways.” Many expositors have assumed that Satan wanted to trick Jesus with this omission, but his free method of quoting was very common. Many New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament in the same loose way.

He misapplied the Scripture he quoted. The Psalms passage refers to anyone who trusts in God. That certainly applied to Jesus. The verses promise that the angels will uphold such a person like a nurse holds a baby

  It is wrong to demand that God prove Himself faithful to His promises by giving us what He has promised on our terms. The proper procedure is simply to trust and obey God (Deut. 6:16–17).    “Testing is not trusting.”

Don’t take Scripture out of context. Don’t test God

Matthew 4:8–11

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Luke’s wording suggests that Satan presented all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus in a vision (Luke 4:5). It is hard to tell if Jesus’ temptations involved physical transportation or visionary transportation, but my preference is visionary transportation.

This was a legitimate offer. Satan had the ability, under the sovereign authority of God, to give Jesus what he promised, namely, power and glory (cf. 12:25–28; Luke 10:18; Eph. 2:2). Israel, God’s other son, had formerly faced the same temptation to avoid God’s uncomfortable will by departing from it, and had failed (Num. 13–14). This third temptation, like the other two, tested Jesus’ total loyalty to His Father and His Father’s will. Had Jesus taken Satan’s bait, He would have been Satan’s slave, albeit, perhaps, a world ruler.

For a third time, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture to His adversary (v. 10; cf. Ps. 17:4). He banished Satan with the divine command to worship and to serve God alone (Deut. 6:13).

When Satan tempts us to doubt, deny, disobey, or disregard God’s Word, we should do what Jesus did. Instead of listening to Satan, we should speak to him, reiterating what God has said (cf. James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9).

How to Read a Love Letter

This young man has just received his first love letter. He may have read it three or four times, but he is just beginning. To read it as accurately as he would like, would require several dictionaries and a good deal of close work with a few experts of etymology and philology. However, he will do all right without them.

He will ponder over the exact shade of meaning of every word, every comma. She has headed the letter, “Dear John.” What, he asks himself, is the exact significance of those words? Did she refrain from saying “Dearest” because she was bashful? Would “My Dear” have sounded too formal?

Jesus’ survival weapon of choice is Scripture.

Jesus’ survival weapon of choice is Scripture. If the Bible was enough for his wilderness, shouldn’t it be enough for ours?

Jesus even quoted scripture when he was angry

Matthew 21:12–13 (ESV)

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Don’t miss the point here. Everything you and I need for desert survival is in the Book. We simply need to heed it.

Through the words of the prophets, [God] used Scripture to reveal his will. Doesn’t he do the same today? Open the Word of God and you’ll find his will.

Psalm 119:67 (ESV)    67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,     but now I keep your word.

What to Keep in Mind When You Study

1. Handle with care. Study the Bible with the same diligence and care you would study for a test by a professor or a driver’s license examiner.

2. Assume the writer is being straightforward. Don’t try to find hidden meanings, but look for the clear teaching which may at first appear simple and obvious. We must learn the basic lessons the Bible teaches again and again.

3. Use a contemporary translation of the Bible. Among those which are widely accepted, the New International Version (NIV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the Good News Bible (GNB) are probably the best. Paraphrases like the Living Bible and J. B. Phillips New Testament are fine for general overview preparation, but are usually inadequate for careful study, especially in the carefully reasoned letters by the apostle Paul.

4. Let the material season. Try to study the material several days ahead of time so it can mature in your own mind and so you can clear up any questions you encounter by talking with a friend or consulting reference works.